The 2013/14 Bundesliga season kicks off this weekend. Ever since the all German final of last season’s Champions League, the standing of the Bundesliga has considerably risen in the eyes of many neutral supporters and this season is set to be as tasty as it has ever been.

Tuesday night’s clash between Borussia Dortmund and Malaga played host to perhaps the most dramatic and entertaining ending of recent Champions League history. When it looked as though Malaga’s shock troops had done enough to see them through with the home side all but succumbed to defeat, Jurgen Klopp’s players drew one last breath and threw themselves into the breach. Aided of course by some poor officiating (of which both sides can claim to be on the end of) for the all decisive final goal, they grasped victory from the jaws of despair through the sheer force of will on a night when it just hadn’t clicked for them.

At the end of the 90s and the turn of the millennium, the 3-5-2 (and its variants) was at the center of some of the biggest successes in the game. However, the formation began to fade into obscurity from about 2003 onward, until it was brought back from the dead around 2008 and is now thriving again.

I have already profiled this boy as a player to watch in this season’s tournament before matchday 1 but his performance and goal last night put to bed any lingering doubt that he is a truly special player. He possesses so many qualities that are often so rare in such a young player – his eye for a pass, ability to draw opposing players in to him, finding space in congested areas, knowing exactly when to dribble or when to move on possession, composure under intense pressure – these are to name just a few of his qualities. In my opinion the only other player of a similar age group who can match him is Neymar of Santos. Of all the players aged 21 and below currently playing in Europe, none of them are playing at the capacity James is.

The announcement this week that Shiniji Kagawa would be the first summer signing for Sir Alex Ferguson has sparked great excitement amongst the Old Trafford faithful, who throughout last season, pleaded for extra voltage to be added to the old machine. The Japanese attacking midfielder has been a key figure in Dortmund’s last two successful Bundesliga campaigns. However the real question is, with Kagawa only twenty-three, what now for the hopefuls already wearing the shirt in the acclaimed youth academy and reserves?